Bird Sightings

On a lovely sunny morning’s early high tide: Grey Plover, Common Sandpiper, Snipe, 7 Greenshanks, 41 Wigeon, 2 drake Red-breasted Mergansers, 3 Goosanders (1 drake), 3 Little Grebes & 7 Little Egrets,

Not sure if this is a new roost or they have split but there were about 40 Parakeets (it was hard to count accurately as it was almost dark) in the biggest tree on Charles Cross roundabout last night.

On Sea: 1 Black-necked Grebe, 11 Common Scoter, 1 Long-tailed Duck, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Great Northern Diver.

In car parks: 11 Cirl Buntings, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Firecrest, 1 Goldcrest

A water rail showed briefly in the flood relief channel under the footbridge yesterday afternoon. I’d heard one just the other side of the river a few weeks ago, nice to see it!

White tailed Eagle over the Donkey Sanctuary at around 1220 today.  Soaring eastward.

Steve A

2 Glossy Ibis. 1Spotted Redshank. About 50 Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Bar-tailed Godwit.Good numbers of Teal and Two Shelduck.

Issues with 40 plus Pheasant at one of the supplementary feeding stations in one of the bird mix fields have led me to feed in the orchard with fabulous results.Today’s sightings included 2 Yellowhammers, 55 Chaffinches, 11 Greenfinches,6 Stock Dove,as well as 2 GSWs,2 Marsh Tit,5 Long Tailed Tit,2 Buzzards,a male Sparrow Hawk a Jay as well as the usuals.Elsewhere in the grass fields 50 plus Fieldfare,30 Redwing,20 Starling ,2 Bullfinch, a female Kestrel and 5 Mistle Thrush.Non avian included 21 Red Deer and 3 Roe Deer.

Late Afternoon: 1 female Hen Harrier & 1 Woodcock.

77 pintail off Penhill Point opposite Heanton Court mid-afternoon today.

Firecrest in the hedge behind the west end of the beach this lunch time.

Redwing flock in Tavistock Meadows Park

1. 1 female Blackcap.1 Bullfinch. 4 GS Woodpeckers. 2 Greenfinch.3 Nuthatch 1Mistle Thrush. 12 Song Thrushes. Very large flock of Chaffinches. About 30 Redwing. All the local birds, blue tit, great tit,Longtailed tit,marsh tit and Coal tit plus multiple Robins and wrens are all looking exceedingly fit and active.

100+Teal at the Pill, Redshank, Black and Bar -tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Curlew and single Glossy Ibis. Continuing from Fremington along Tarka Trail to Barnstaple encountered flocks of Lapwing, Little Eagret, Starling, Shellduck ,Oystercatcher.

06:55-09:16

Highlights: Whooper Swan (3) – flew out at approx. 07:10; Willow Tit, Marsh Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker (2) drumming; Tawny Owl (2 I think) calling.